cleaner EArth & AIR

As a sustainable and effective oxidation agent and free radical source
, hydrogen peroxide can be used in many different environmental applications

Soil remediation

Soils are the object of several threats, which were under estimated for long time due to their physical and chemical degradation related to conjugated effects from various factors such as: atmosphere, agriculture, urban and industrial.

In the treatment of soils, hydrogen peroxide can be used in two ways:

Similar to the AOP (waste water treatment) the combination of hydrogen peroxide and catalytically amounts of iron salts provided either from soil itself or added separately, results in the formation of highly reactive hydroxyl radicals which degrade even very stable organic compounds (Fenton´s reaction).

Oxidizing treatments with systems using ozone/hydrogen peroxide (O3/H2O2) or hydrogen peroxide/UV (H2O2/UV) are well adapted to the elimination of organic pollutants present in groundwater (aromatic compounds, chlorinated organics).

Furthermore, hydrogen peroxide can be used as a source of oxygen for in-situ bioremediation of the soil, in particular for the elimination of hydrocarbons.

Air Pollution

Hydrogen peroxide is widely used in various technological processes to reduce the environmental impact of exhaust gases.

Thus, nitrogen dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions from the steel industry, which uses nitric acid in a pickling process, can be strongly reduced.

At the end of the last century, acid rain was a huge environmental problem of the developed countries. One of the main reasons was the emission of sulfur dioxide (SO2) in exhaust gases. Mercaptans, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) removal from effluents or off-gases is achieved by utilization of a wet scrubber with hydrogen peroxide.

It is also used to reduce toxicity and odors at paper mills, rendering plants, metal smelters, pharmaceutical, pesticide, chemical manufacturing or petrochemical facilities.